School is almost over, so I will get to concentrate on this year's AAs I'm attending. Hopefully I will make plenty of plushies and things this year without stressing out at the end.

>>5698491
Oh yeah, Square's been mentioned a couple of times before in these threads. I want to get one but I don't have an iPhone or an Android phone. Does anyone know if it works on an iPad or a iTouch? My tablemate has an iPad so I'm wondering if I can use it with that.

I just had my second artist alley booth last weekend ( my first was 3 years ago) 800$ profit between my partner and I. Went pretty well I think

>>5701392
That's awesome. Is that your booth?

>>5701403
thanks! yaaah, it's a bit messy, but we did what best we could then ahaha. (that's my partner there in the booth)

How much do you guys sell commissions for? Generally speaking.

>>5701429
Cool. What all did you sell? I'm curious because I'd like to try my hand at an AA. Perhaps this year or next.

>>5701392
Not bad for your second time! You guys have an alright looking setup, and I kind of dig the bunny ears, fun looking things and I can imagine people having a kick out of wearing those like with cat ears.

>>5701441
we have access to free printing at our college so Prints were going at about 2-3$ a pop (since they're just black and white on cardstock)

I did 6"x4" pencil for 3$ and 8.5x11 pencil for 10$ ( I had to keep running back and forth to the lobby computers for internet references though)

>>5701448
my partner makes zelda USB drives, and I did pencil commissions, b/w prints, bunny ears (easter weekend) in low and hi quality versions, fleece hats, and we have a laser cutter at my college so I made laser cut charms like majora's mask, apples etc.

here's what he sells

>>5701503
wow does he have an online store?

>>5701479
do you happen to have any examples of said sketch commissions? If i can see

>>5701441
here's a picture someone posted of a commission I did for them

>>5701531
here's his online store
http://zantaff.webs.com/apps/webstore/
but he also has an etsy account as Zantaff

>wow shitty animu drawing ur so skilled!!

>>5701551
I take it you've never been to an artist alley.
Because this is ALL you see. I did a table back in 2003 with my own art.
Never
fucking
again.

>tfw you only made $3 the entire 4 days, while the person next to you with the so-so anime skills made $400

>>5701551
uncalled for, dude

>>5701551
Whatever puts bread on the table.

>>5701561
So would someone with a toon-ish style not do as well?
I'll be tabling for the first time this year so I guess I'm a bit nervous!

>>5701585
Let's just say you have to have an animation style (pretty much like ANY japanese anime), or print out a posterboard size piece of your art to even get people to notice you.

I had Erika Door help me with a last-minute-tip, but i still managed to bomb by NOT having a similar art style. Again, it was 2003. 9 years later and nothing's changed on the alley's end.

It's even harder to do a western con's artist alley.

well, here's a nicer photo I got of another commission I did of the Once-ler

>>5701585
Oh, I forgot to mention, walking out with your admiration and a tiny bit of leftover courage is better than feeling like shit. So i really hope you make it out well, mentally.

>>5701561
>>5701604
Well were you set up at an anime convention?
>anime convention with mostly underage weebs
>they want anime style art

huh, who would have thunk it?

>>5701659
I just saw it as
>oh boy, 100 different fucking flavors of the same ice cream
and myself as
>sherbet

Both cold, both tasty, no one even interested.

>>5701605
That's cute! For future reference, you might want to work on your anatomy and posing. Right now the drawing seems a little stiff. Sorry if you weren't wanting critique, just trying to help!

>>5701678
thanks~ and yah, I always just wing it when it comes to anatomy. This character looked kinda noodle-ly so the limbs are pretty out there

A friend and I are going to try and get an artist alley table this year at a smaller con. Splitting the cost of the table, splitting the profits. I make stuff, she sells it. We're figuring out stuff for her to make as well, though.
I'm making mostly needle felted figures out of synthetic fibers (pic related, a prototype) keychains, hair accessories, and maybe some prints of some fanart.
She's probably going to be sewing dicebags and small pillows.

Is it better to have a few of each of a large selection of characters, or more of each of just a few really popular characters?

I wish this thread could keep up with the Koti threads....

>>5701900
I'd say pick a few of the popular characters and then make a bunch of them? And then you could do less popular character in smaller quantities. Make a sign saying you take commissions just in case people want to commission you for a character you don't have!

This way you'll draw in crowds with the popular shit but still hit the people who like the more obscure characters who might not have as much merch.

>>5698491
I was so scared that the guy stepped on the posters on the right. But then I realized there was a table there and the perspective threw me off completely.

It figures. This is the first AA thread I've actually asked for advice in, and it's going nowhere.
Why does every thread I post in die while I'm watching it? Am I a thread killer?

>>5702299
Which question did you ask, I'll try to help?

>>5701360
It should work on an iPad, it works on galaxy tabs and stuff like that I'm pretty sure.

Has Sweet Poison Cupcake gotten better?

>>5702387
Holy shit. Samantha Whitten booth. I would've died.

>>5701360
I know it works for iPad because a cinnamon roll bakery near my place uses it for their card transactions haha.

>>5702666
2 dollars for a fucking button, i can't even.

>>5702683
What's wrong with that?

>>5702683
1 for $2, 3 for $5 is a pretty standard deal on badges.

copyright infringment!

so how do you guys generally keep your cash?
i made myself a vedor pouch. :)

>>5703180
derp. vendor.

>>5703180
I have one of those metal boxes with compartments for money and a key. I decorated it with lots of stickers. I like your pouch tho, it's very pretty and I'm sure you can use it for other stuff too.

>>5703078
Not to mention those are 1-1/4", not exactly the smallest ones you'd see being sold at a con

>>5702683

what, it's pretty common amongst AAs
but what I dislike is how it is pretty much all just symbols and logos. Kind of defeats the purpose of artist alley if you aren't selling your own art.

>>5703180
Those zipper pouches that buckles around your waist, love that there are multiple pockets to separate different change, and it stays close to me so I won't have to worry about theft.

>>5703545
you mean a fanny pack

>>5703555
Oh herpderp, I always forget the name of those things.

>>5703612
Is funny because fanny meant cunt in the UK

Okay I am kinda good at "ugu" art.
I don't draw like this srsly, it's more like a "haha, oh gross" thing I guess.
And they only take about 2min each, no joke.

So, what I am asking is how much would you be willing to pay for quick "kawaii uguu" drawing of yourself or something?
Colored, black and white, ect.

Here is some of my "art"

>>5704328

>>5704328

YOUR a bitch? Oh god, please go back to school.

>>5704334
>>5704328
I charge 3$ standard for a quick monotone bust (5-10 minutes total). While I do get a lot of specific characters, I also get quite a few 'draw me/my cosplay!' too. Some people like quick and cheap.

I have a question, I apparently I have a half table for BronyCon this year and while I've talked to another pony artist about selling at MLP cons, I still need some more advice in what to sell. Has anyone gone to MLP-based cons and what general trends are in the AA?

>>5704349
Actually that was a drawing of my little sister (11) who swears constantly and wrote "your a bitch" on my note pad the other day and this was a rip on her. lololol sorry.

>>5704334
>Lorax-tan

>>5704603
Eagle bones will never replace chainsaw.

>>5703517
>>5703079
>>5702683

That would be my table and I've been selling them for a couple years now without problem. If you're not a fan of them for whatever reasons then you have the buyers right to not buy them.

>>5704622
I like 'em both. Don't hate bro.

where's the best place to get shrink plastic. A lot of places have it pretty pricy and I'm looking for something reasonable

I'm not looking to sell, I just figured you guys would know. I want to make some cute custom jewelry for myself

Ok, so my friend wants to start up an AA booth, so I'm speaking on behalf of her. I've been trying to explain a lot of things I've read on here to her, but I only know so much. Anyway, a few of her questions are:

1.) What kind of shows are popular right now? What is considered classic and will do good regardless (i.e. pokemon)? How big of a risk is it to draw some less popular (but not obscure) things, and is it worth it to draw only what you know and care about as opposed to what is popular?
2.) How hurtful is it to sales if you have a more unique/stylized art style?
3.) Would it be smart to sell less common items (coffee mugs and notebooks opposed to prints) since less people sell them and you could charge more? Or would that just be throwing money down the drain?
4.) Would a booth solely for commissions be a bad idea?
5.) How does one find someone to split a booth with?

>>5704884
1) I'd say... Check out the top selling anime at ritestuff, the top manga on reader sites and crunchyroll
2) I think people are more forgiving for original stuff, but the want characters to at least be recognisable.
3) Stuff like Keyrings, Prints, plushies, stickers etc. sell because they are popular, and small and easy to transport/store. Something like a mug is quite fragile unless you have heavy packaging for it.
4) Possibly, consider letting people pre-book commissions on a forum or website. But having stuff to sell might at least make up some quick money.
5) Usually the forums of con, or email the people who arrange it.

>>5704884
1.) This is like the most annoying question of AA questions ever, seriously. It's understandable that you want to make a profit, but honestly, it's more worth it to just do series that you like. If everyone did what was popular, AAs would be boring as shit. If they already are, now you know why. Figuring out how to profit from AA's takes trial and error, so if you're new to this, draw what you like and find/build a market for it.

2.) See above. If people wanted mass-manufactured generic shit, they'd go to the dealer's hall, which they already do.

3.) It's better to do this if you're already established or you know you're really damn good. Manufacturing this stuff in America is pretty expensive, so unless you know you can sell certain things in relative bulk, I don't think it'd be worth it. That being said, if you can figure out something clever for cheap, go for it.

4.) Not necessarily. I make a lot of money from commissions. You want to advertise it very prominently, though. The downside to purely doing commissions is that you'll have to pump up your prices by a lot to compensate for your overall costs. That much price bloating could scare people away from buying, especially if other artists are charging less.

5.) I've shared with great people from /cgl/. Also convention forums often have table share threads and stuff. Just be sure to do a thorough bg check on the person first. Sharing a table can be the same as sharing a hotel with a complete stranger who turns out to be batshit insane.

So I've been working at artist alleys for the ast few years, and I;m going to have on at AX this year, which is new to me since we only have relatively small cons in my state.

I don't like doing prints though, although I have a button machine. Besides that, however, I do a lot of work on canvas- like embroidery and paintings canvas collages and whatnot. Do you think that those would do well in a bigger convention? Do some people get by just doing traditional artwork? Or do I run the risk of looking hella bland halfway through the con because I don't have doubles?

(I can't really do much digital work anyway, besides what I do from Colors 3DS now. My aunt trashed my room and now my tablet pen is completely lost, along with some of my finished artwork- crazy bitch.)

>>5705938
Is that some of your stuff? It's pretty appealing and very interesting to look at. I think the larger pieces would do better in at shows, but if you can make something similar on smaller canvases and sell those for a reasonable price, I can see them doing pretty well. If anything, you'll probably have less volume, but each sale will probably bring in a lot more.

>>5705938

You might have to worry about people transporting those things around. It is kind of a pain to put something like a canvas in a suitcase even if people are going to and fro to buy figures and shit.

>>5705957

Thanks! I did this in a few hours on Monday. How does one go about siging up for putting pieces in at a show? I checked around the AX website, but I must be dumb as balls or something. This one is 12"x12", but a couple of my bigger ones'll be 16"x20". How much should I charge though? For a 16x20 one I was selling at AV this year, a girl that bought this painting gave me another buncho dollas because she said I was severely underselling myself. I originally charged pic related for 20 dolla. What's passable at a bigger con, price-wise?

>>5704328

At X last year, I noticed that a lot of people were sticking to 5 dolla chibis. There was this table of really cute shy girls at the corner that were doing colored pencil drawings for 3 bucks a pop though. That's for something around 3-5" tall though.

>>5705987
I'd buy that for at least $50. $20, SERIOUSLY? Some people sell individual prints for that much; isn't that on a canvas?

gurrrrrrrrrl

>>5706006

That's the feedback I got basically. I was going on the rule of thumb, "2x whatever the cost to make it." I just think it's obnoxious to sell a print for 15 dollars(no offense to the artists personally) when it's fanart, y'know? So I don't really count in the time.

>>5705987
I agree with anon. at least 50, that shits amazing

>hauling ass to finish my part of my doujin circle's Touhou fanbook for this year
>inking the very last page
>mfw I spill iced tea all over it

>>5706024
It depends. If it's mostly digital work, it doesn't always catch my eye as much as something that's completely done by hand. Your canvas is one of a kind and can't just be churned out like prints. When you make something that unique, you shouldn't undersell yourself.

I have a gorgeous screen print on my wall that I paid $60 for last Fan Expo. As an art student, I know how much work and trial/error can go into manual printmaking, so I was more than happy to cough up the price.

>>5706036

I guess you have a really good point. I've always been an art major since middle school (although, I'm considering changing my major to be some fuckawesome dentist with have a real job), so I've always had that attraction to handmade things. If it's done well, then I'm even deeper in the love, y'know?

I was just never really aware that people purchased those at bigger cons. I just tend to see those canvas paintings that are "unfinished" for all four days, just hanging out at the table, so I just thought they never sold at bigger cons.

Do you guys think it's more profitable to sell from the mania fandoms or to do your own thing? I know that I personally just buy things from series that I really like (Ace Attorney, Tiger and Bunny)

Which is why Anime Boston's artist alley was a colossal disappointment. The art was lovely but there was so little variety in terms of fandoms. But that's probably much more intelligent in a business sense. I don't know. What do you guys think?

>>5705987
If you want to sell larger items at your table, you should do what another anon said and charge 2x the cost it took to make it. It's a pricetag that people will honestly gawk at and it might be a hard sell, but people in alleys are idiots and don't realize how much time and skill goes into creating handmade art. If you want to put it in the art show, I would set your base price for at least the cost it took to make it+some (maybe also 2x the material/time cost?). If people really like it, you could end up getting a lot more for your art, but even if you don't, at least interested parties will be compensating your time and material costs for it.

I feel like you'd do really well as a print artist too, but if you don't like doing regular prints that's cool. It's definitely more interesting to see something tactile and dimensional anyway! If you have anything smaller, I'll definitely look for you in the AA and grab some of your stuff. It's really nice.

>>5706099

I just like drawing what I like. The bigger the con, the bigger the odds of finding someone that knows what it is. There was one guy at ALA with a bunch of Breath of Fire and Twinkle Star Sprites, and he told me I was the only person who recognized it. He charged like ass though, like 7 bucks a postcard, so I didn't buy anything.

If it's good, and it's priced well, someone mightj ust have to have it. I just threw a Drakenguard sketch out on a table once and had a really rad conversation with one guy about the Drakenguard I and II.

>>5706099

Mania fandoms, unless you're well-known and people like you for you. If you've got a healthy (or should I say wealthy?) fanbase, you can usually do your own thing and still do well. A lot of times though, when people try to use a con to pitch their new "lolol so original" comic they tend to flop unless they did internet marketing beforehand.

>>5706099
My suggestion is, have a variety. A few of the popular series, a few nostalgia series, and a few series you love. That way, you're bound to at least make some kind of sell since you're covering more bases. If you only focus on what's popular, you end up getting caught up in the AA slush pile because so many others are probably going to have the same series.

>>5706090
I'd try pricing them low at first... if they sell well, price them higher! People seem to think small things = small price, even though small things are hard to make.

Unrelated to pricing, but what kind of hooks are you using? I'm allergic to cheap metals, and can't wear earrings made with them. Surgical steel is the best, it's inexpensive and is hypoallergenic.

>>5706099
For the amount of bullshit you end up putting up with, I don't think it's really worth "selling out" and doing whatever's popular, especially if you don't actually have an investment in the fandom. I dunno, I could just be a very self-indulgent person, but I hate forcing myself to draw shit I don't actually care about just to pull a profit. The fans will occasionally be obnoxious, alley rules might fuck with your head, there could be a huge mishap somewhere along the line, and at the end of it all, I might not even end up having fun at the AA, so it doesn't make sense to me to self-torture myself in addition to that by drawing mindless stuff. AA's can be incredibly stressful!

Plus, like you said, doing "popular things" is not very memorable. If you're in it for the long haul, it's much more profitable to do stuff you like and make friends with people who like the same things, because they're the ones who will come back for commissions, prints, etc just to support you. It's much more gratifying.

On that note, though, I heard AB's AA was fucking baller as hell this year. The AA crew I usually hang with usually divides up this time of year because it's cheaper for East Coasters to go to AB than SakuraCon and apparently most of the artists there did phenomenally well, while this year's SakuraCon had a dip in sales for most of us. Curious.

>>5706110

That was me responding. I picked up two canvas for 9 dolla, so charging 20 for it was charging 4x the cost already, so the other 5 included the paints and other things I picked up at the store to get crackin.

That's how I did when I used to do prints, though. I'd charge 5 dollars for am 11"x14" print back at Anime Vegas and Supercon, and 15-20 dollars for an original at that size.

One word of advice to anyone- make your price before you start selling. It's really important to make that final decision as early as you can. If people pass you by because they find you too expensive, they will keep passing your table, since they think you're an overcharging goofball.

>>5706144

Was it really? I would love to see pictures. I wish AAs got as much coverage at cons as other events. It's where I spend most of my time at a con anyway, tlaking to artists and whatnot. (I make it a rule to go to every art table when I'm selling at the same con and buy something, unless it's like... 8 dollars a print or "How do you draw like a six year old when you're 25 using MS paint?" bad.)

>>5706144
I didn't sell this year, but a friend had just started for the first time and she sold very well. As a consumer looking for Dragon Kid art, I was disappointed, but I imagine if I were an artist it would be different, as most of the ones I know sold surprisingly well, or so I've heard. Then again, they didn't have really high expectations as they're kind of new.

I just think that unless you're a fairly good artist or at least somewhat innovative (like shotglass girl from the previous thread), if you stick to the trends then you might undersell, particularly if your neighbors are exceptional.

That's just a guess, though.

>>5706133
oh, i'm using plain silver plated. But i'll buy some of the kind you mentioned, i didnt really think about that being an issue, thanks!

>>5706114
>>5706115
>>5706120

What are the best AA's conwise, anywas? I've heard that big con doesn't necessarily mean great artists' alley.

I'm sure that Chancake could sell pictures of paper bags - and I think she's great so I'm not complaining - but maybe there are in between fandoms. Ones that not everyone's doing but that will sell well. IDK. I'll have to ruminate on that one.

>>5706159
Yeah, it depends. Like last year's SakuraCon was really good because I think the AA was in an open, public area. There was a ton more foot traffic and the hours were later, so it gave us better chances for sales. From what I heard this year, registration was a bitch and a half and the dealer's hall kind of overshadowed the AA so sales suffered. It seems like SCon is not particularly consistent with the placement of their AA so some years will be good, some bad.

But I also think that there are a lot of people like you who really want to patronize the AA. It might be a smaller audience than other exhibits, but it's very loyal so I never worry too much.

>>5706163
You're right. Mediocre is mediocre. If you're mediocre AND you blend in with everyone else, well, you're kind of screwed either way. It sucks, but you learn from it (hopefully!).

Ughhhh speaking of disappointment, there was not nearly as much Korra as I was hoping for at SCon this year. There was one print I liked and got but that was it. Blargh. I hope to god that shit fires up by Fanime. I need to plaster myself in allllll the Korraaaa

>>5706176

Bigger cons usually have more artist tables, so there's always more room for something somewhat innovative. AX is pretty good about that, while Otakon is usually much more print/pinup savvy. If Anime Boston was bitchin, then I'd love to see what they did. ALA was alright, but I wasn't wowed by much. The art was pretty good, but nothing as far as construction or product stood out at all.

>>5706176
I'm not sure on which cons since I haven't done an AA myself, but I'm always trying to absorb the information posted in these threads so I can eventually start AA of my own.
You know, not just anime wise, but game stuff is always good. Capcom, Nintendo, and Sega are good areas to work in.
Many people are old Nintendo fanboys, so mario, zelda, pokemon, and so on, are usually good areas to sell in. Capcom, many people are always looking for good prints of series like Street Fighter and Devil May Cry. Sega, always going to find the Sonic fanboys.
I'm doing some prints, but I'm mostly concentrating on crafts. So keychains, pins, hair clips, plushes, and so on for me. I've had a few anon's definitely interested in my deku shield leather keychains.

>>5698491
Can also use the Paypal one they have going around, but Square is nifty as shit.

>>5706176
Otakon is an AA favorite, I've heard. Apparently people are just more appreciative of art for art's sake over there rather than fandom's sake, which is pretty heartening to hear. My friend also really like A-Kon and says that it's big for commissions. She also went to Kawaii-Kon this year and made hella bank there. For some reason, I feel like that's to be expected because... well, Hawaii is pretty excluded from the rest of the con circuit, haha. I imagine people really save up to blow all their money on everything for their one large convention there.

>>5706191
Really? Besides Hetalia, MLP, and Homestuck I'd say that Korra had one of the largest fandoms AA wise at anime boston. Guess you can never account for what will be popular.

>>5706191

>dealer's hall kind of overshadowed the AA so sales suffered.
>placement of their AA

Holy fuck, this. At Anime Vegas, the planning was so bad- kiiiinda like this. Half of the people that came in had no idea that there was an artist alley at first, or even a dealer's room. I don't even remember there being a proper map system, so I had to ask around like a dumbass.

>>5706216
CRYING.

IT'S LIKE AB WAS BIZARRO SAKURACON.

has anyone heard anything back from anime weekend atlanta about booths?

bump

so if you sell prints, I'm guessing it's a good idea to give protective sleeves with them, yeah? Or maybe even offer poster tubes for the bigger ones?
I've never bought a print at an AA, just because I'm afraid of it getting ruined before the day's over.

>>5707345
I would buy these. My prints often come home with creases and stuff, it's rather irritating.

Just started on one of the several wood pieces I plan on selling and raffling away next year at Otakon and *possibly* Ohayocon orrrr Anime STL if I can find a partner for the latter.

They're pretty much going to be similar in ghibli subject matter, the only difference between the pieces will be movie/size. the smallest pieces will be 2x2 foot, while the largest will be 4x2. The only problem I'm having is figuring out how I ought to price these! I'm thinking maybe $30 for the larger ones, $15 for the smaller ones?

If it helps, by the time I'm finished with this piece will include bou as a mouse along with yu-baaba's bird after it was cursed annnnd the soot people.

>>5707345
I use protectors sleeves, the kind that can be bought at most office supply stores. I'l like to get some clear bags from Uline on day though...

>>5705987
Oh my god do you have somewhere I can find your art online
im dying help

Weird that Sakuracon's AA apparently wasn't good for the artists? I bought more art this year than ever, and it felt like the place was hopping every time I went there. I even bought a bunch of original art from this lady with a absolutely phenomenal style. Seriously, it was like a breath of fresh air all up in that bitch, I hope she made a killing.

Psst, Tim, are you the one who was selling the adorable Kamina corgi prints? I remember you saying that you gave out homosuck freebies too, but I was too shy to say anything...

>>5705987
I'd commission you for good money. Srsly.

>>5708825
Same here. I bought a lot in the AA this year. More so than previous years since I saved more money to burn this year.

Got the last one of this print. (Of course, don't know how many they had for sale originally.)

>>5708825
That was my friend/tablemate! Haha yeah, she got a lot of comments on that one, but ended up selling mostly her Chibiterasu/Okami prints. Noooo you should have said hi, I would've given you everything!! Anons and seagulls are forever welcome at my table!

We'll be tablesharing at Fanime too, so if you're going to that MAN UP AND TALK TO ME SO I CAN SHOWER YOU WITH FREE THINGSSss

>>5708825
I haven't been following the thread so idk if this has already been addressed, but when AAs are larger almost everyone's sales have to take some sort of hit proportionally. Sakuracon's AA was basically twice the size it was last year. I personally did really well (I was selling the large TARDIS bags) by my standards but I was with a friend I'd never tabled with before and her style is much cuter than mine so a lot of my anime-related would-be sales got taken away by her, haha.

But yeah when there are more people, the odds of someone else selling something similar go up and so sales for your product will likely be divided. Larger AAs mean more people can make money and more congoers might be spending money in general, but they can still be more picky with their purchases which basically means it doesn't always even out. And in addition, bigger AAs mean more walking around. In the times I've been given a crappy table location it seems like half the people who come by are looking for an exit or they're tired or have already bought the stuff they really wanted.

>>5709939
I'm actually curious about how well crafters did at SakuraCon. I'm usually not impressed at all by most craft tables at cons, but SCon's crafts were pretty great. There was that Math Club table that had the needlefelted Adventure Time plushies, the pony table with those really stupidly adorable derpy pony plushies, and that one table with the tofus. All of it looked really solidly made so I assumed crafters did pretty well this year. Print-wise, I feel like outside of my row and maybe a couple of other tables, there wasn't too much being offered.

>>5708709
>>5708889

Sorry for the late reply! I totally lost this thread.

Anyway, if you ever come back, my eMail is in this post, but I don't have anywhere that I've updated online in the past... ever, besides my Facebook. (Was totally thinking of starting a blog called Weeaboo Craft Time though, need to start writing!).

By the way, I'm curious if there are any cons that put some cool updates and attention to the AA? I think that there are a lot of people that go just to stock up on cute stuff to put on their wall, and I'm definitely one of them. It's kind of a shame that it's not always emphasized (especially by press. What, with all of the work people do there.) It's pure crack.

>>5713666
To be honest no. Most cons push guests and events and maybe you'll get your work in the program book, but the AA is generally that thing they have and don't pay much attention to or give much regard for (never mind a good AA can make or break a con at times.)

>>5713772

Well, sure. I guess it's hard to advertise an AA when you don't know what yay 90% of the artists are going to even make to sell. I'm sad that it doesn't get a lot of coverage outside of the fact. (I agree with you. If I don't have fun at an AA, the con usually suffers to.) I just like seeing photos of booths and checking out what's going on there, especially when I can't make it to said con myself to see.

>>5713780
Well, I remember after ANEXT last year there was a con blogger who was basically like "I wasn't going to blog about another AA but after AnimeNEXT this year I kind of have to. BECAUSE IT WAS AWESOME." About 30% minimum of artists return to a con's AA after a good year (if they're lucky) and with the fact that AA are starting to fill faster and faster (Zenkaikon filled in 10 minutes of the form going live and that's a small PA con; I'm hoping AnimeNEXT this year did not fill within 5 minutes.) you'd think cons would donate more space and consideration to their AAs.

>>5705938
>>5705987
Have you ever posted your art on /diy/ by any chance? Your style is beautiful.

>>5713803
It's really a shame, too. I love that the AA is becoming more and more of a thing. I wish that there would be better accomodations to get artists together. My first time going to AX was like, "...Mother of God." There are only 14-20 or so tables each year at Anime Vegas, so seeing 10x that was really something. I love talking to other artists and taking something home with me. (That being said, I'm really confident and chill when I'm talking to someone while I'm running a table, but I get spaghetti falling out of my pockets when talking to other people running their tables and ordering a commission. Por que Madoka?)

>>5713857

Now that I think about it, I totally did a few months ago. I think people were talking about gifts for people.

>>5713803

Along the east coast at least its difficult because the number of tables will never meet the needs of the artists and not result in so many tables that every artist suffers due to over saturation. Not to mention overall space budgeting, for some conventions AA is considered one of the 3 largest areas along with main events and the dealers room.

The more artists talk positively about a room the more interest its going to generate not only in new local artists but also seasoned out of state artists looking to add another con to their list. Really the options are going to become rooms sell within minutes of the registration or letters of intent going up in first come first serve, or go the Nekocon and Otakon route and use a raffle system. Then its a question of which format is considered the fairest?

>>5714555
I haven't been to non-east coast cons (though I've thought about TX cons simply because I have friends in that state) but I do think there is a point where first-come-first-serve stops being a useful method simply because there is too much demand as a con grows. I also don't like the idea of a raffle system especially for cons like Otakon where some people might plan their whole summer around to going because it is such a large con. (Not to mention there seems something suspicious about a raffle system anyone when the AA itself doesn't look shittier then when a non-raffle system was used.) I also like the idea of a juried show, but we all know the pitfalls there (and may only work if the head/whoever else is in charge of selection is and artist themselves; MangaNEXT was this not past but the year before and the AA was a lot smaller then previously but very varied and concise regardless. I didn't go this year so I don't know how to was since it was a different head.) But still, there may be some kind of a bias which sucks. Personally I think a mix of first-come and juried would work best, but that's not my job so... which is why it's not often used except by larger comic conventions (I think.)

At present, I'm just aggravated at ANEXT for release acceptance letters in waves instead of in one-shot because they haven't gotten the map approved by the fire dept. And didn't inform us of the wave system until after they started it.

I think if the AA is filling up in minutes it needs to go from first come first serve to being judged. I know Momocon filled up in record time yet when I went to the con half of the tables were empty and most of what was there was unimpressive. Had they taken applications and then chose good artists who also aren't known for canceling last minute then it could have been a successful artist alley.

AWA's is too large and doesn't get enough foot traffic.

Those are the only two semi large and large anime cons I attend

>>5715359

MangaNEXT last year wasn't a juried system because there was only 1 person judging who gets in or not. Nekocon is more a juried system because there is a panel of 3 or 4 people who do most of the judging. Just so you know the fall back for most juried systems is to take the remaining artists after pruning those who don't meet their criteria is to randomize it.

For AnimeNEXT this year the options were to wait until the fire marshal actually approves it to release tables to everyone, something the con has no control over, or release them in waves to get as many artists in as possible while still giving time for the layout to come back. Last year they were also released in batches so I don't really see what your problem is.